March 29, 2024

Fatal incident reported at Jacobson Warehousing

Semi incident leaves one dead, one injured

An incident at Jacobson Warehousing on Tuesday morning left one injured and one dead, according to reports from Newton Police.

At 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Newton officers responded to the parking lot of Jacobson Warehousing for a semi-pedestrian accident.

Upon arrival, officers found 63-year-old James Harder, of Omaha, Neb., and 39-year-old Cynthia Avitt, of Grinnell, injured after being pinned between the trailer tires of two semis.

Cynthia Avitt was transported to Skiff Medical Center and treated for her injuries. James Harder was transported to Iowa Methodist Medical Center by Life Flight where he later died of his injuries.

The driver of the semi, 42-year-old Thomas Richtsmeier, did not notice the semi parked next to him and turned into the semi, pinning Avitt and Harder.

No charges have been filed at this time.